Method of making a hollow thermo-plastic club



Fb. 25, 1964 c. J. SAUBER 3, ,945

METHOD OF MAKING A HOLLOW THERMOPLASTIC CLUB Filed June 1, 1961 INVENTOR. CHARLES J. SAU

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ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,121,945 METHOD OF MAKING A HOLLOW THERMO- PLASTIC CLUB Charles J. Sauber, Virgil, Ill. Filed June 1, 1961, Ser. No. 114,148 1 Claim. (Cl. 29428) This invention relates to a club or shinny stick for driving a ball, puck or the like, and more particularly to a stick or club which is hollow and somewhat resilient, yet adapted to positively drive an object :such as a ball or the like.

It is well known that team-play games utilizing a stick or a club wherein goals are scored by driving a ball or other object past the opponents goal are vigorous and frequently require protective clothing for the participants, particularly about the legs and shins. The present invention involves an effective club or stick for such team-play games, which, being hollow and resilient, affords quite a safety factor particularly when used in games played by children.

It is accordingly the principal object of this invention to provide a club which is resilient in nature, yet suflicient- 1y rigid to afford driving application to a ball or other object to be struck by the club.

Another object is to provide a club having a handle projecting at one end but extending through the hollow portion of the club to an anchor point at the lower or basal end.

Still another object of the invention is to provide various surfaces of the resilient portions of the club with faces contoured to engage and drive a ball in various attitudes such as in an arc or a straight line, for example.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method for producing game clubs of this type.

These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent as the following description proceeds, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the stick or club;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the club, partly in section;

FIG. 3 is another side elevation rotated ninety degrees from the view illustrated in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an end view of FIGS. 3 and 4.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, the numeral represents a club or stick comprising a hollow lightweight portion 11, through which extends a shaft 12, preferably solid, terminating outside the hollow portion 11 in a hand engaging handle 13. This handle 13 may be further provided with a thong 14 to be slipped over the wrist of the user and a rounded end 15.

The hollow portion 11 may be made of any suitable material, preferably a thermo-plastic material capable of being blown. The upper end of the hollow portion 11 is provided with a sleeve 16 through which the shaft 13 forming the projecting handle extends. Downwardly from this sleeve 16, the hollow portion flares frustoconically outwardly at 17 and at the base of such frustrurn is shaped into a length of polygonal cross-section 18, substantially square. The basal end of portion 18 is closed and provided with a central socket 19 braced by four integral ribs 20 joining the outer surfaces of the socket 19 with the closed base of the portion 18. It is within this socket 19 that the other end of the shaft 13 is seated. Suitable fastening means, not shown, secure the shaft into said socket and sleeve 19 and 16 respectively.

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The portion 18 of polygonal cross-section provides three or more sides or faces, and in the preferred square cross-section two opposite sides provide faces which are substantially fiat except for a series of ribs 21 transverse to the shaft, provided to drive a ball or object in substantially a straight line normal to the ribbed surface. The other opposite sides or faces of the preferred square sectioned hollow end of the club are provided with angular faces and preferably with ribbed depressions 22, which are provided to give lift or an arced trajectory to a ball or object when struck by that portion of the club. 'All corners of the club such as 23- are rounded or provided with a radius for further safety.

It will thus be observed that a club or bat is provided that, although sufficiently rigid to drive a ball or other object struck by it, is likewise sufiiciently resilient, due to the relatively thin walls of the blown plastic material, to avoid injury to the participant when accidentally (or purposely) struck with the club.

The club illustrated is particularly well adapted to be used with a ball in a game of iceless, or ground hockey where several players constituting teams alternately defend or attack goals established.

A method of producing such a club as described above involves the step of forming a mold to the desired external shape, inserting a heated tube of thermo-plastic material into the tube, and blowing it to conform to the contours of the mold and to provide a basal socket and reinforcing ribs. After removal from the mold, the piece is closed at its bottom end. Thereafter, a shaft is inserted and secured to the socket and upper sleeve end, which shaft is sufliciently long to provide an external handle.

Having described a preferred embodiment of my invention and method of producing same, it will be understood that numerous changes will be suggested to those skilled in the art, and all such changes as come within the spirit of this invention are intended to fall within its scope as best defined in the appended claim, wherein there is claimed:

Method of producing a hollow club, including the steps of shaping a mold to the desired external contours of the club, inserting a heated tube of thermo-plastic material into said mold and blowing said material to conform to the contours of the mold, including a sleeve at one end, closing the other end of said hollow portion and forming in the closed end an internal socket, inserting a shaft longer than said hollow portion thereunto, seating said shaft in said socket and securing it to said molded plastic material, the end of the shaft projecting through said sleeve forming a handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,052,081 Miltner Feb. 4, 1913 2,657,431 Slaughter Nov. 3, 1953 2,774,993 Hagen et al. Dec. 25, 1956 2,916,774 Wetty et al. Dec. 15, 1959 2,935,321 Lhotka May 3, 1960 2,967,330 Tom rnarchi Jan. 10, 1961 2,987,317 Acevedo June 6, 1961 3,025,576 Henderson Mar. 27, 1 962 FOREIGN PATENTS 865,159 Great Britain Apr. 12, 1961 

